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Thrilled to Bits

Today I qualified for the Adult Handling Finals in Coventry. I have been trying my utmost to get into the final cut in the Over 60 classes for about 2 years and had given up all hope. I got fed up with being told that it was all so close there was less than a whisker between us.

I entered Little Joe today, who is new to the sport and epileptic. To walk the figures under show conditions and while the Judge is walking round us both without moving is a tremendous achievement for him.

There's a lot of practice to be done before April and the decision to be made on whether to take Rebel or Joe. Rebel was intelligent enough to work out that the judge was creeping up behind us in one class and pulled me round to face the right way before I knew what was happening, but Joe stays very close to me and excels at not moving a muscle when the judge is going round him. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Secondly I'd like to show my complete ignorance, and ask exactly what you have to do for the sport?

If you ever saw Junior Handling at the Open or Championship shows you will be able to understand what Adult Handling is, because it is the same thing done by adults. Apart from perhaps a couple of age divisions between the competitors it is often the over 60s class which attracts the largest entry.

For those who aren't familiar with handling at all, it is the handler and not the dog who is judged and placed or otherwise. The judge asks the handler to do basic things such as showing the dog's mouth from all sides, goes over the dog on the table, then often asks questions such as how many teeth should a dog have? or to point to any named part of the dog.

Then the dog is moved according to the judge's direction. There may be the triangle and up and down maneouvres which are common to the breed rings or, more frequently, a letter T, reverse letter T, an L or reverse L, an S or even a figure eight. The handler must have the dog under control at all times and show a close rapport with him, presenting the dog to it's best advantage at all times and never breaking the golden rule of not coming between the dog and the judge.

Then when standing for floor inspection, the judge will often go behind the line unexpectedly and penalise contestants who do not immediately turn to face the other direction.

As with breed and general championship shows, Adult Handling classes are very few and far between, about 7 or 8 a year in the Midlands. Classes are usually large and competition friendly but fierce. Not all of those are qualifiers.